Skin Deep
by Awkwardauthor
Summary: Age of Edward entry. Edward was the foreign outsider of Forks High and was constantly picked on for his nationality. His friends are the only people who understand how he feels. How will a class assignment bring these friends even closer together?


**Age of Edward Contest**

**Your pen name: MusicalWritingBookworm**

**Title: Skin Deep**

**Type of Edward: 80's Filipino Edward**

**Summary: Edward was the foreign outsider of Forks High and was constantly picked on for his nationality. His friends are the only people who understand how he feels. How will a class assignment bring these friends even closer together?**

**If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this contest visit The Age of Edward 2010 C2 Community.**

**Hey ya'll! If you remember reading "Chilling Nights" from the last Age Of Edward contest (I was Moonlightoftwilight back then), then that means you'll know what sort of context this entry will be about. I'm not that great w/ historical stuff cuz… well… I wasn't born in the 80's or anything. But I promise to bring it my all! Since I have a Filipino background (I think you already know that), this was a pretty easy one to do. This was an idea I came up w/ when I was reading TKAM (To Kill A Mockingbird) for my English class & I was thinking of a way I could do a story about racism and discrimination, but w/ a twist. This is what I came up with.**

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><p><em><span>Present Day<span>_

"Mom! I'm home!" a twelve-year-old girl with brown eyes and matching brown hair bursts through the front door of her house as she kicks off her shoes and head to the kitchen. Her mother was there feeding her little brother Seth, as well as cooking tonight's dinner.

"Leah? Is that you?" The voice of Leah's mother echoed from the kitchen.

"Yups! I'm going to my room!"

"Okay!"

From the kitchen, Leah's mother had just finished feeding Seth and sat down on the red couch in the living room. She was tired from taking care of Seth for the day, and she was relieved that her oldest daughter was here just in case she needed her help. But even though she was tired, she was happy with the life she lived. She had two wonderful kids, a beautiful house, the job she's always wanted (She was an author, so most of her work could be done at home) and a wonderful loving husband that provided her family with the best. What more could she ask for?

She smiled to herself, and drifted to her memories of high school.

_September 1984_

_Another day at this damn school._

It wasn't like Edward hated to go to school. He liked going to school to learn, to learn more about the things Americans do that apparently go there.

_Why am I lying? Of course I hate this school. James, Mike, Tyler... and some others are the reason why._

Edward wasn't originally from Forks, Washington. He moved there from Baguio City in the Philippines after his parents decided that life was getting hard back at home and his father managed to find a job in Washington that had better pay. He and his younger sister Renata was also against moving away, but after countless persuasions, they gave in and traveled a long way to their new home in Forks.

Going to school in the US wasn't any better. While Renata was transferred to Forks' local elementary school, Edward transferred to Forks' high school. Since Edward didn't know one person that attended the school when he first moved to Forks, he figured that it would probably take weeks for him to make any new friends. One, because he was shy. And two, he thought that he would be teased for being too smart. He was already teased that much back in the Philippines, so why would Forks be any different?

On the first day at his new school, Edward was picked on by James Marks, who was apparently one of the "tanyags" in the school. James kept calling him a freak when he saw that Edward was wearing glasses and a smarty pants when he answered every question the teacher fired to the students in one of his classes. Edward was more than relieved at the end of the day when he learned that James was only in two of his classes. He didn't want to suffer any more of his teasing if he had ended up being in all of his classes.

The next day wasn't any better. By then, the whole school had heard about the new foreign student. James, along with his friends Mike and Tyler, and his girlfriend Victoria, spent lunch time teasing Edward even more. Edward was embarrassed. He was never teased this much back at his old school.

"Hey new kid!" He felt a ball of crumpled paper hit the back of his head and heard laughter from James.

"Leave him alone," a low voice threatened James. He turned around to see a tall and muscular dark-brown-haired boy with blue eyes glare at James.

"Awww… why you gotta defend the dweeb Em?"

"Let's go." Em's arms turned Edward's body to the opposite direction as he walked with him away from James' lunch table.

"Sorry about that. James and them are usually like that to the new kids."

"It's alright," Edward tells Em.

"I'm Emmett Cullen. You must be Edward Capili, the new Asian around here." Edward's last name was Tagalog for "fellow chosen."

_Cullen… isn't that Alice's last name? _He remembered that there was a girl in his Spanish class named Alice with the last name Cullen.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you related to Alice Cullen?"

Emmett smiled. "She's my little sister. And don't be so formal." Emmett swung an arm around Edward's shoulder. "This is high school! Let loose!"

_Little sister… he must be a senior. And let loose? That doesn't seem like a bad idea._

"Okay…" Edward was a bit intimidated by Emmett's voice, but he somehow found his presence comforting.

"Have lunch with me and my friends, Edward," Emmett tells him. "You're still new, and I don't want you to end up wasted like James and his posse."

Edward just nodded. He didn't really know what to say to a boy like him.

He followed Emmett to a lunch table near the corner of the cafeteria near the exit. Edward could hear the faint snickers coming from the students he passed by, as well as students telling Emmett to stay away from him.

"Don't listen to everyone," Emmett murmured low enough so Edward could hear. "You're a nice kid. As long as you stick with me, you'll be fine. We'll be friends, and I'm sure James will back off because of that."

After that day, Emmett stuck true to his word and became one of Edward's friends. Along with Emmett, he introduced Edward to his best friend Jasper, his sister Alice and Alice's two friends Rosalie and Bella. Edward had expected them to make fun of him like most of the students did in school, but instead they were all smiles and included him in their little group. They were those few that tolerated the students' behavior of putting down the arrival of new students, especially foreigners.

When Edward asked the reason why the students didn't like foreigners, Jasper explained it was because they hated them.

"Forks High is an American school, and they all wanted it to stay that way. It was bad enough when blacks were around, but having people who spoke other languages and looked like freaks isn't something they also like. The only way foreigners have the chance to really fit in is if they have the looks."

"They're just shallow beasts who only appreciate what's on the outside than the inside," Bella had commented when a girl that had way too much hairspray sprayed on her hair walked pass their table and tried to trip Edward. She failed however, when Rosalie barked at her to move along.

"Guess Martin Luther King Jr.'s message didn't touch their hearts," Alice had muttered after Jasper explained the school's hatred towards foreigners and the blond girl was gone within earshot.

"Martin who?" Edward never heard of Martin Luther King Jr. But judging by the shocked expressions on their faces, he must have been an important man.

Edward became a close friend to Emmett and Alice's close knit of friends. They loved to talk to him and when James would try to slip in a threat, his friends would be there to defend him by saying a witty comment back to dragging him away to avoid any more trouble.

It didn't, however change who Edward was. He was still a Filipino, and as long as he was a Filipino, he would remain getting taunts from the students in school who were purely American. Besides his friends and family, the only people in school that appreciate him are his teachers, a Japanese student name Eric Yorkie and a quiet African freshman that Edward didn't know the name to that he often saw in the library. They occasionally shared pleasant greetings and never showed any disdain toward each other.

By the middle of the semester, Edward had gotten really close with Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Bella and Rosalie. Edward wanted to make other friends outside his usual tie of friends since he didn't want to stick with only five friends, but apparently, nobody wanted to be his friend. They still didn't like him for being a Filipino. Plus, he overheard two sophomores once say he was a "foreign geek."

Besides Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice and Bella, he did have a few acquaintances. There was Angela Weber, who was his lab partner in chemistry. She was an American like most of the others, but they didn't talk often, except for school purposes. When they did speak outside of class, it was only to say a quick hello or a compliment. But she'd never talk to him whenever her friends were around. Edward didn't understand how she could be nice to him when two of her friends were Lauren Mallory, the girl that tried to trip Edward when he first met Emmett, and Jessica Stanley, Mike's girlfriend that Edward would simply called a "pipi."

Then there were Lucy, Nettie and Maria, They were three quiet sophomores that kept to themselves but were constantly bullied because they weren't popular. Edward spoke to them occasionally, and even ate lunch with them a couple of times.

Tyler's response? "The freaks are eating together! That's how it should be." Edward never wanted to punch him as bad as he wanted to that day. But he didn't. His mother raised him better than that.

Lucy, Nettie and Maria liked Edward. They like knowing someone who understood how it felt to constantly be taunted.

Finally, there was Renesmee. She was a friend Emmett and his friends, but didn't hang out with them often. Renesmee met Edward not long after he met Emmett and his friends. Edward first expected her to be like all the Americans, but instead she was just like Angela. Renesmee didn't care that he was a foreigner, and wasn't ashamed of speaking to him in public. He'd consider asking her for a date, but that option was off as soon as he found out that she had a boyfriend that lived in La Push, which wasn't far from Forks.

Besides Edward's friends, there was one other thing that kept Edward happy to going to school, and that was his girlfriend. He didn't expect to even find a girlfriend while he was in Forks, but he did, and she loved him as much as he did to her. Their friends and family didn't oppose to their relationship. If anything, they tried a lot to make them grow closer. Each attempt embarrassed them, but nonetheless it did make he and closer. The rest of the students? Not so much. They didn't like that Edward was dating Bella Swan. James despised the fact that Bella was betraying all the Americans in the school for "A pathetic, geeky, boy like Capili."

But Bella didn't care. She didn't like James or any of his friends anyway.

"I don't care what anyone says about you as my boyfriend," Bella had confidently told Edward once they started dating. "As long as you're mine, then I'm okay with it. My parents love you. Your parents love me. Everything's the way I want it to be."

To Edward, Bella's words comforted him, but it still wasn't fair. When Emmett started dating Rosalie and Jasper dated Alice, no one had a problem with it. They dubbed them as the two "power couples" of Forks High. With the six of them together, however, that's when they dubbed them as "two power couples plus one that doesn't belong."

It upset Edward. Just when he had a girlfriend, he thought that the school would like him better. Instead, it only made his reputation worse. And the worst part? He felt that he was bringing Bella down with him.

~:~

"I can't believe we have to do this assignment," Bella mumbled, looking at the sheet where Mr. Akelo printed out the rules for their project in history.

Edward looked at Bella, confused. "Why is that? All we gotta do is make a family tree. No biggie. I think this is just going to give James an excuse to tease me more about being a Filipino."

"He's a jerk, Edward," Jasper reassured him. "I'd be proud of my heritage if I was a Filipino like you."

"Yeah. Sure. Tell me that when the school doesn't hate me," he mumbled.

"Oh hush." Bella leans forward to lay a hand on my cheek. "Those guys are idiots. Besides, I like having a boyfriend that's Filipino. It's better than all those other American jerks as you put it." She kissed his cheek, and Edward could have sworn he heard Lauren, who was a few tables away, groan.

"I guess that's okay… I think," Edward tells her. "So… back to Mr. Akelo's assignment."

"Yeah?"

"Can I come over to your house? Maybe we could work on it together or something?"

A look of what seemed like panic flashed across Bella's eyes.

"Er… I can't."

"Why not?" He always came over to her house, but when he did, her parents weren't home. Bella told him that it was because they worked until midnight most of the time. He didn't know why this time was any different.

"Because… because… my mom's sick and I have to take care of her!" she reasoned. "Yeah… that's it."

"Oh. That's too bad. Maybe next time."

Bella nodded her head. "Yeah… next time."

~:~

"Ang proyektong ito ay hindi tumingin masyadong masama," Renata said from next to Edward, looking over the assignment on his poster paper, which was sitting on his lap. Edward and his little sister were sitting on a bed in his room, working together to finish his assignment.

"Muli, kung ano ang bahagi ng ito ay isang magandang bagay?" Edward said with a groan. "Ang lahat ng ito ay gonna gawin ay bigyan ako ng pampublikong panghihiya sa klase."

Renata shrugged. "Hawag tututol sa kanila. Gawin kung ano ang gagawin ko. Magpanggap na ang mga damit na ito sa kanilang mga damit na panloob."

He scoffed. "Makapangyarihang isa. Oh mangyaring. At para sa iyong impormasyon, iniisip James sa kanyang damit na panloob ay isang kakila-kilabot na imahe." Thinking of James like that made Edward shudder.

His sister laughed. "Na ay tama. Hindi ko ko inaasahan ito upang gumana para sa iyo. Sigurado sila na masama?"

"Pinagkakatiwalaan ako. Hindi mo nais na malaman kung paano masamang ito ay."

"Okay pagkatapos." Renata stood and headed towards the door. "Ako ay pagpunta upang makakuha ng sa amin ng ilang sorbetes. Nais ng ilang?"

He shrugged. "Sigurado. At mangyaring dalhin hangga't maaari mong. Ako pagpunta sa kailangan ang mga ito kung sakaling ako pagpunta upang matapos ito."

~:~

"So what do you think?" Edward asked his friends. Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett were looking over his finished assignment for Mr. Akelo. He wanted to ask his friends for their opinions to make sure if it looked good enough to turn in. His grades were high, and he intended for it to stay that way.

"I think… it looks fabulous!" Alice commented, a smile on her face. "You'll surely outshine the others with this!"

"And the dork strikes again," Edward heard Mike mumble from a few tables away.

Edward ignored him. Even if they continued to taunt him, he wouldn't let that get to him unless it was serious. He was getting used to them, and the more that came, the more that he was able to shrug them off.

_Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me._

"I agree with my 'lil sis," Emmett agreed, continuing on as if Mike never interrupted them. "Everything you do is always in tip-top shape."

Bella smiled, hugging his shoulder. "That's my Ed."

Edward couldn't help but smile too. Bella knew just how to make him feel better.

Emmett handed Edward's assignment back to him. He thanked Emmett as he put it back in his backpack.

"So how are your projects coming along? Are they almost done?" Edward was the first of the group who had to do the assignment to finish it, and he wanted to see how theirs was coming along.

"I'm almost done," Alice replied. "Just got a few more touch-ups and I'll be done."

"Same here," Rosalie added.

Edward turned to Bella. "And you?"

"I'm approximately two-thirds done. Just need to add a few more people on my family tree," she said softly.

For a minute, Edward could hear a slight hesitation in her voice. Was there something that she's not telling him?

"Is there something wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, concerned.

Bella shook her head. "It's nothing. Anyway, I gotta get to class." She picked up her backpack and quickly slung it over her shoulder. She placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I'll see you after school." Edward watched his girlfriend exit the cafeteria, curious about her change of behavior.

"Hey Alice, how much more time do we have until class?"

"Ten more minutes. Why?"

"Isn't it a bit early for Bella to get to class? Her next class is only the building across the cafeteria."

Alice shrugged. "Maybe she has to borrow a book from the library or something."

"Isn't she in the middle of reading To Kill A Mockingbird?"

"I know that. Maybe she wants to read another book at the same time."

"That could be it… I guess."

"You worry too much, Edward. Let her have her space for today."

Edward decided to let the subject go, but something deep in his mind told him it wasn't so.

"Hey. What's this?" Emmett picked up a poster paper that was rolled up into a tube with a rubber band around it.

"That's Bella's project. Give me that." Rosalie took it from Emmett's hands and handed it to Edward. "Edward, hold on to that. I can't trust Em to go one period without losing that."

"What?" Emmett sputtered. "Will not!"

Alice rolled her eyes. "I agree with Rose on this. I give you my Elvis CD to borrow. What do you do? You lose it."

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was that important to you!"

"I don't care! When I give you something to borrow, you're supposed to return it in the condition that I gave it to you in!"

"Again, I'm sorry!"

"Too bad." Alice turned to face Edward. "Make sure you don't lose it. Bella will be crushed if she finds out she lost it."

It took a moment for Edward to respond. He was staring at Bella's assignment as if it held all the secrets in the world.

"Edward!"

"Huh?"

"Promise you'll give this back to Bella?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. I will." Edward continued to stare at the rolled up poster paper. He was tempted to look at it, but knew that one wrong thing that he does to it could result to disaster.

"Let's go, you guys. Bell's gonna ring in about a few." Edward looked up to see his friends dumping their lunch trays to the trash. Edward was about to pick up his and copy them when he saw Alice bend down to pick it up.

Alice smiled. "Just a way to say thank you."

~:~

Edward couldn't take it. He had to open it. He had to know what was Bella's family tree.

_Do it…_

_Don't do it!_

Edward groaned. His temptation to look at it was growing at the minute, and he felt that he'd die if he didn't see it soon. He was sitting on a bench outside of the entrance of the school, waiting for Bella to show up so they could walk home.

_Hmmm… maybe if I took a peak…_

He took off the rubber band and slowly opened the poster paper to reveal what was inside. The anticipation was killing him, but he was afraid of doing anything wrong that will cause him to ruin his girlfriend's family tree.

Once it was open, he was blown away at how neat, organized, and appealing it was. She had a huge family, just like him. He saw Bella's name at the bottom of the family tree. The names of her two parents were on top of hers, Renee Saito Swan and Charlie Swan.

_Saito._

Edward froze. Saito wasn't an American last name. He knew that. It was a Japanese last name. How did he know? He had a classmate back home with a Japanese last name? Everyone hated that poor fellow.

Saito. The last name continues to echo in Edward's head.

Within seconds, Edward scans the rest of Bella's family tree, making sure to pay extra attention to her mom's side of the family. Every person on her mom's side of the tree had Japanese roots, from Saito to Suzuki to other countless last names that shocks his every core. By the time he gets through reading the entire family tree, he felt regret for giving in to his selfish temptations.

Japan and Philippines were natural enemies, and still were. The Japanese treated the Filipinos like puppets during World War 2. Because of the war, Edward had lost some of his great great grandparents to it. Who knew… either one of Bella's side of the family could have been in the war!

That explained why Bella acted weird whenever he brought up their assignment. She was afraid of his reaction when he found out that she had came from Japanese roots, that she had some Japanese blood. She'd be afraid of losing her boyfriend to a simple thing as family roots.

He sighed. Not only would Bella be angry when she finds out he saw her family tree, but there was a chance they'd break up. She'd finally see him as the boy that everyone else sees him as: someone that doesn't belong.

~:~

"Edward!" Edward was deeply lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Bella running towards him.

He forced a smile on his face. "Hi, Bella." When she reached him, she jumped forward and gave him a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. In return, Edward returned the hug and buried his face in her hair.

When she pulled away, he noticed that his girlfriend was all smiles when she saw her project laying on the bench that Edward sitting on as he waited for her.

"Oh my god… Edward! Thanks for holding on to it! I don't know what I'd do if I lost it!"

"Right…" Edward was still forcing himself to keep the smile on his face.

Her eyebrows scrunched. "Is there something wrong?" Her tone sounded as if she was concerned.

_Don't lie. _Edward couldn't stand lying to Bella, especially if it was something as big as this.

"Uh…"

She gasped. "You… you didn't see what was inside, did you?"

"Maybe?" was all Edward could say.

Bella groaned. "Oh great. Now you think I'm a horrible person, huh?"

"What?" he said, bewildered. "You are not horrible at all! I am a little overwhelmed and shocked…"

"But you hate me though, right?" Bella was almost on the verge of tears. She couldn't believe that her boyfriend had to find out in this way that she was part Japanese. She knew from the moment that they met that having him as her boyfriend would be near impossible. Their nationalities were natural-born enemies. But despite her efforts to try to hate him like everyone else, she couldn't. There was something about him that drew her in than all the boys that she's gone out with. She threw caution in the wind, thinking "Why not?" As long as he didn't know about her roots, then dating him would be okay. She didn't care what everyone else would say. They didn't understand how Edward was a perfect guy, even if he is a Filipino.

Edward stared back at Bella's glassy eyes. Normally, a boy in his situation would just immediately break up with her. After all, it did seem a logical thing to do. He wouldn't have to be pressured by his parents when he tells them that his girlfriend was part Japanese. However, a part of him told him that he'd be guilty for life if he broke up with her just because of nationality differences. So what if their countries were enemies? That was their problem. The Bella that he sees in front of him isn't nothing like them. In fact, he sees her as the exact opposite. He sees her as a girl that his parents would approve of dating if she was Filipino. His parents didn't mind them dating in the first place since she was American. And besides, the Americans were there for the Filipinos when their country was under control by the Japanese.

"I could never hate you," he whispered, quickly placing a kiss on her lips. "Bella Marie Saito Swan, I love you no matter what you are."

Bella's frown was turning into a half-smile. "So… you don't hate me?"

He shook his head. "Why should I?"

"It's just that… you know about the second World War, right?"

He nodded.

"Then I don't have to go through much details. You get it, right? Japan and Philippines are not meant to be friends. The only reason why my parents approve of you is because they share the same opinion as your parents. They don't care about the war to know that they could be together."

"And so can we," Edward tells her, wrapping his arms around her waist. The relative shocking facts from earlier dissipated and was replaced with understanding. "I'm only upset as to why you haven't told me sooner."

Bella shrugged. "You would've judged me differently. We'll still be hanging out with Alice and the others, but we wouldn't look at each as real friends, and we'd never be like this-" she gestured to their bodies that were in close contact, "A real couple."

Edward smirked. "So we are a real couple?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Don't tease me, Capili. Just kiss me."

And that's what they did.

~:~

"So you found out Bella is part Japanese?" Emmett asked Edward as they were sitting at their regular lunch table in the cafeteria.

He nodded. "I assume you guys knew about it?"

"Way before you came along, Ed."

As usual, Lauren walked past their table and attempted to send an insult towards Edward, but she was intimidated by the girls' glares and just quickly walked away.

"Dumb blonde," Alice grumbled after she was gone. "Can't she see that no one ever messes with us?"

"Or else they deal with my fists," Emmett finished. "So is it safe to tell Ed about our nationalities too?"

"EMMETT!" Alice, Rosalie and Jasper shouted at their friend.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I knew this day would come."

"Tell me what?" Edward said a moment later. It seemed as if Bella wasn't the only one who had something to hide.

"Er… gotta go! I forgot I was supposed to meet with Angela! See ya!" Alice quickly got up from her seat, dumped her lunch in the trash can and dashed out of the cafeteria doors.

"Same here! Bye guys!" Rosalie quickly followed in Alice's footsteps.

Ummm… I gotta go find a book of the Civil War. I'll be in the library if you need me!" Jasper said seconds after Rosalie left.

"And… shoots! I owe Cheney twenty bucks!" Emmett boomed after Jasper left.

Bella and Edward were the only two left at their lunch table after Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett's abrupt departures.

"What was that about?" Edward asked Bella, still dazed of his friends' responses of Emmett's comment.

Edward and Bella's assignment about their family tree was due a week ago, so they no longer had nothing to hide. Bella shared all of her secrets about her Japanese ancestry. In return, Edward offered to see Bella's parents, who understood when Edward told them that he knew that Bella was part Japanese.

"You really want to know?" Bella said, dropping a fry in her open mouth. "They'll kill me for this, but you deserve to know."

"About what?" Now Edward was really curious.

"I'll keep this short. Let's just say… they're hiding a secret that were similar to mine."

Edward quickly caught on. "Their nationalities?"

Bella nodded. "Lemme tell you something. Do you believe that Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett are fully American?"

He shrugged. "To me, they seem like it."

"That's the thing, Edward. Like me, they're only part American. They have bloods of another nationality too."

"Really?" Edward never thought that his friends would share Bella's predicament.

"Alice and Emmett have ancestors that are British. Some of Rosalie's cousins are from Ukraine. Jasper may originally come from Texas, but he has an aunt that's from Russia."

"Oh." _At least they aren't Japanese. Mom would be pissed at me if she learned I had more than one Japanese friend._

"Promise me you won't tell them?" Bella asked in a frantic voice. "I swore to them that I would never tell anyone about their family roots, especially you."

"Of course I wouldn't," Edward said solemnly. "But why would they try so hard to keep it a secret?"

"Isn't that obvious? They'd be taunted for life by Mike. If he and his posse found out they have foreigner blood, they'd be treated like you. It works that they look American, so for years, no one has ever suspected their true family roots."

"Oh." _What's up with my oh's?_

"Are you mad?"

"No." He was telling the honest truth. He wasn't mad. If it was that personal to friends, then he'd respect them if they never told them. He understood why they'd do this. They'd be on the bottom of the school pyramid, along with the other dorks, geeks and foreign exchange students.

"Pinky swear you won't tell them I told you?"

He laughed. "Are you making us first graders or something?"

"Nope," she said with a giggle. "Just making sure you keep your promise."

"Have I ever broke a promise."

"No…"

"Then I promise." He kissed her on the cheek. "Let's go. I don't want to be late for next period."

~:~

_Present Day_

"Honey! I'm home!" Bella was shaken out of her thoughts from the sound of her husband's masculine voice from the front door. She didn't realize that she was stuck in her memories for a while that she didn't notice that it was the hour for Edward to be home.

"In the living room!" Bella called out to Edward. Seconds later, Bella was greeted by her husband, dressed in his suit and tie. Edward was now a lawyer at a huge law firm. Unlike his high school days, all of his associates didn't mind that he was a Filipino. In fact, he was surrounded by people with different nationalities every single day that he didn't mind the fact that he was finally one of them. He was finally treated as an even.

"How was your day?" Bella asked Edward after he kissed her on the lips and slipped off his shoes.

"Tiring," he responded, running his fingers through his disheveled hair. She sighed. She loved that habit of him, and she didn't find it coincidental that their daughter picked it up. "This new case is really kicking my ass."

Bella giggled, rubbing his shoulders. Edward couldn't help but smile. His wife's laugh was infectious.

"On the bright side, at least I get to see you at the end of the day," he tells her, attempting to kiss her again.

"You don't think I know that, Capili?"

They leaned forward and were about to kiss when their daughter's voice rang from upstairs.

"Mom! Dad! That's gross!" Leah screamed. "Can't you cut the PDA? There's kids in the house!"

Bella laughed. "So how are things with Sam?"

"That's none of your business! Now if you excuse me, I gotta poor bleach in my brain!" Leah's footsteps faded away as she hears a door slam shut.

"I love you," Bella says to Edward after she was sure that their daughter was far from earshot. "Now kiss me."

As the happy couple finally share an intense kiss, Bella couldn't help but think that her life is finally the way that she wants it to be.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Translations (There are a bunch of them):<span>**

**~ Tanyag: Popular**

**~ Capili: Fellow chosen**

**~ Ang proyektong ito ay hindi tumingin masyadong masama: This project does not look too bad.**

**~ Muli, kung ano ang bahagi ng ito ay isang magandang bagay?: Again, what part of it is a good thing?**

**~ Ang lahat ng ito ay gonna gawin ay bigyan ako ng pampublikong panghihiya sa klase: All this is gonna do is give me public humiliation in class.**

**~ Hawag tututol sa kanila. Gawin kung ano ang gagawin ko. Magpanggap na ang mga damit na ito sa kanilang mga damit na panloob: Don't mind them. Do what I do. I pretend that they're in their underwear.**

**~ Makapangyarihang isa. Oh mangyaring. At para sa iyong impormasyon, iniisip James sa kanyang damit na panloob ay isang kakila-kilabot na imahe: Mighty one. Oh please. And for your information, I think James in his underwear is a horrible image.**

**~ Na ay tama. Hindi ko ko inaasahan ito upang gumana para sa iyo. Sigurado sila na masama?: That is correct. I would not expect it to work for you. Are they that bad?**

**~ Pinagkakatiwalaan ako. Hindi mo nais na malaman kung paano masamang ito ay: Trust me. You do not want to know how bad it is.**

**~ Okay pagkatapos: Okay then.**

**~ Ako ay pagpunta upang makakuha ng sa amin ng ilang sorbetes. Nais ng ilang?: I was going to get us some ice cream. Want some?**

**~ Sigurado. At mangyaring kumuha ng mas maraming bilang maaari pagpunta sa kailangan ang mga ito kung ako pagpunta upang matapos ito: Sure. And please take as much as you can. I'm going to need them if I'm going to finish it.**

**So how was it? Liked my rendition of Filipino Edward? ;) Wish I could have some of him. If you like this little fic, then vote! Mr. Capili would be really happy. xD**

**Anyone up for some outtakes after the contest is over? I do plan on making an outtake on Edward's friends' reactions after they found out that Edward knows their "secrets."**

**Again, excuse my attempt at something historical. If I could improve this, I would. Sadly, just like Athena & Tara said on Face-Off, "I wish we had more time."**

**Now I bid you adieu! I'll be stuffing my face with fried chicken now. XD**


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